I Changed My Phone Number So My Ex Would Stop Texting Me

Yes… it’s a little extreme but I did change my cell phone number so I wouldn’t hear from my ex-boyfriend(s) ever again. I believe that when it’s over, it’s over. There’s no sense in moving backwards in time if we all have to move forward in life. In my experience, every guy – every single one – will come crawling back – even if he was the one who dumped me! They’re crazy, not the girls.

I decided to go to drastic lengths and inconvenience everyone I talk to daily because I received a text from my ex’s email address on Christmas Eve… two years after he broke up with me. Ridiculous. I’m currently in a happy healthy loving relationship, and here he comes barging in like we’re close buddies or something. Every guy does this – whether you were casually hooking up or full on dating. They come crawling back with sad annoying texts that make you feel both strangely powerful and highly flattered. It feels good to be missed, doesn’t it? Well, don’t fall into the trap. We’re supposed to move forward in time, not backwards. You shouldn’t go back to an ex – ever. Cut them out completely, because they’re your ex for a reason.

Here are a few ways to resist the urge to get back together and cut him out of your life.

Change your phone number

Yes, this one is pretty extra. I know it’s a big pain in the butt to text literally every person you know to inform them of your new number. Trust me on this one, it’s worth it, especially if you have rather persistent (read: desperate) exes. The coldest thing you can do is to never talk to them again. It’s the sweetest revenge. They want to elicit a reaction from you and get into a fight and manipulate you into thinking you’re in a relationship again. Don’t do it. You know it’s not worth your time and there are so many other guys out there to meet. It will literally kill him to never be able to talk to you. Just think about his reaction when he gets the “Error: Invalid Number” message. HA.

Delete and block him on all social media

The best way to get rid of your ex and block him out of your life is to delete anything that will serve as a reminder of his existence. Like social media. Delete AND block him from every platform you use. Why should you care what he’s doing or who else he’s seeing? He’s worthless and stupid and his life doesn’t matter at all to you. Resist any urge to stalk and block him completely. You’ll soon forget about him and he’ll be tortured when he finds that your profile is blocked and he stalks your life.

Delete all his friends from social media

In addition to the ex, you need to remove his friends from your life too. You know you’ll see his photo pop up every so often when he’s out with the guys. No excuses – don’t leave yourself any avenue to go and stalk. You’ll open up a Pandora’s box and start to obsess and fall for his stupid games trying to get you back. You don’t need him, and you certainly don’t need his dopey friends.

Pick your friends

This is a rather unfortunate but necessary task: if you and the ex had the same friend group, you need to pick sides. It would be awkward if you all kept hanging out together after a couple just broke up. Maybe you don’t need to cut these people out completely, but you should at least avoid hanging out with them until the break up has simmered down. Tell your friends that you don’t want to hear any updates about your ex’s life and hopefully they’ll respect your wishes. Cutting out all temptation to keep up with your ex will help you move past him and find a better man.

Avoid the red zones at all costs

The red zones are his territory – the bars he frequents, the street he lives on, his place of work. Do not go into the red zones unless absolutely necessary. If you live in a big city, the chances of you bumping into him are higher than you’d expect. I live in NYC and run into people from my past almost on a monthly basis. It’s uncanny and totally coincidental, but it happens. Ex who caused me to change my phone number was actually on the same subway car as me on a random day – in a city with eight million people! I don’t know how that happens, but take my advice and avoid the red zones.

Delete all photos of him

Last but not least, throw out and delete all tangible memories of him. You really do not need those photos of your trip to Miami or couple selfies on the couch. They will make you nostalgic and see him through rose-colored glasses. Sure, it’s fun to remember the good times but photos will distort your memory and make it tempting to take him back. You don’t need to keep anything that belonged to him because you’re moving forward. You have better things to do than dote over a dummy guy.